Dozens of conservation experts from across the Caribbean met in St. Kitts today,
on the eve of the 58th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)
meeting here June 16-20. The group issued a “St. Kitts Declaration” calling on
Caribbean political leaders to support whale conservation in the region, and not
to be pressured into supporting pro-whaling nations in their push for the global
whaling moratorium to be lifted. This declaration comes in response to Japan
being accused of providing development aid to Caribbean nations in exchange for
support for its pro-whaling position at the IWC.

“We can not allow Japan to use its wealth to pressure our region into
supporting its campaign to hunt whales,” said Dr. Joth Singh of Trinidad,
Director of Wildlife and Habitat Protection with the International Fund for
Animal Welfare (IFAW – www.ifaw.org ). “Whale
watching is now a US$10-million industry across the Caribbean. Our leaders need
to support whale conservation, not whale hunting.”

The group, which
included many whale watching tour operators, also committed to a revitalization
of CaribWhale, a regional whale-watching network. The group announced it would
promote the network and call on Caribbean governments to support the
initiative.

Japan is expected to control a simple majority voting
block at this year’s IWC meeting. IFAW and other local and international
environmental organizations are concerned that this will be the first step
towards the reopening of the commercial hunting and trade of whales.

“People thought whales were saved for good back in the 1970s. But if Japan
controls the votes at this year’s IWC meeting, the global conservation community
will be thrown back decades. Whales will no longer be saved. They will become
marked targets,” IFAW’s Dr. Singh said.

IFAW is calling on
supporters around the globe to log on to www.stopwhaling.org to take action
to protect whales from commercial whaling. Log on today to make your voice
heard.

Editors: Caribbean conservationists on-site in St. Kitts
are available for interview. Please visit www.ifaw.org for more information, and to
download a copy of the “St. Kitts Declaration.”